Ancient Wine Collection Unveiled at Bečov Castle

Officials have revealed a remarkable discovery of 130-year-old wine stored beneath a chapel floor in Bečov Castle, located in the western Czech Republic. This medieval fortress, dating back nearly 700 years to the early 14th century, hosted a hidden cache of wine bottles. The collection, after careful restoration, is now on display at the castle.

The wine, consisting of 133 bottles, dates from 1892 to 1899. It was uncovered by authorities at the end of World War II in a hidden vault, believed to be hidden to protect the collection from wartime chaos. The Beaufort-Spontin family, owners of the castle, were associated with Nazi sympathizers, prompting the confiscation of the property by the post-war Czechoslovak government.

Restoration and Display

The prestigious French winery, Château d’Yquem, managed the restoration of these historical bottles. Toni El Khawand, the cellar master at Château d’Yquem, remarked on the exemplary conservation conditions found at Bečov Castle. The wine laid in a chapel with thick, damp, and cold walls, providing optimal preservation for the wine over a century.

Those were excellent conditions to store a wine. It preserved the moisture and temperature in a very constant way. – Toni El Khawand

Remarkably, the restoration process was so meticulous that preservationists maintained even the dust covering the bottles. Although the display is recent, officials have been aware of the wine since 1985 when their discovery originated from an American businessman’s efforts, tied to the Beaufort-Spontin lineage, to recover a concealed object.

Testing and Confirmation

In 2016, a Coravin device was used to sample the wine without harming the cork, confirming its longstanding quality. These kinds of findings, though rare, provide insightful glimpses into historical storage methods and their effectiveness.

Another similar study occurred in 2026 in Utah, extracting a sample from a 150-year-old bottle initially believed to be beer but later found to be apple cider. Such discoveries showcase the ongoing interest and importance of historical preservation in understanding past life and practices.